The Berlin-based experimentalist revisits formative music from the early 2000s, both from her native Japan and further afield.

MimiCof, AKA Midori Hirano, is a Berlin-based musician originally from Kyoto, Japan. A classically trained pianist since childhood, her music draws on her experiences with acoustic and stringed instruments, incorporating them into her subtle electronic productions. She has released five albums to date. In 2016, she released two works under her own name, exploring modern classical with electronics: Minor Planet, for the Sonic Pieces label, and Time Unbox, a collaboration with fellow Japanese artist Ytamo, which was self-released. As MimiCof, Hirano goes deeper into her electronic studies, focusing on rhythmic patterns and looping melodies. Her 2017 album, Moon Synch, is based on recordings from her residency at Stockholm’s EMS Elektronmusikstudion, where she fell in love with the Buchla synthesizer and its near-cosmic possibilities. The early 2000s were a particularly formative musical period for her, and the decade marked her time spent traveling between Kyoto and Tokyo, and her eventual relocation to Germany. Hirano’s Headphone Highlights picks document this influential time, including a selection of her own work alongside collaborative efforts. The playlist also uncovers recurring themes in her work, including the cosmos, the power of moons and the “primitive” side of Japanese music.

Credits:

Interview by Christine Kakaire
Engineered by JP del Mundo
Produced by Carmen Hofmann